Andreas J. Köstenberger with David W. Jones. God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation. 2nd ed. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010. 399 pages. $22.99. When the second edition of God, Marriage, and Family hit the shelves in 2010, reviewers focused a tremendous amount of critique on a new chapter about family-based ministry. In fact, I think it is fair to say that this theme, which comprised one part of one chapter in the new edition, dominated the vast majority of the online chatter about the book. This was most unfortunate—not because it is an unworthy topic (see Timothy Paul Jones’s well-done review in The Journal of Discipleship and Family Ministry 1:1…
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Life’s Biggest Questions
I was happy to receive Erik Thoennes’ new book Life’s Biggest Questions: What the Bible Says about the Things That Matter Most. The title pretty much gives the book away. It’s a primer in basic Christianity. It’s designed to give the broad outlines of the Christian worldview. At 176 pages, the book is not laden with impenetrable theological jargon but is written in a style that is accessible to just about any reader. J.P. Moreland describes the book this way:
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On Harry Potter
At the behest of my good friend Jim Hamilton and after seeing a recommendation from Andrew Peterson, I decided to make my way through the seven books of the Harry Potter series. I just finished the final book today, and I have to say that it was more than worth it. The stories are moving, filled with pathos and triumph. Very few books move me to tears, but these did. I would rate the series right up there with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I know that many Christians have expressed concerns over the years about the magical elements in the Potter series. Nevertheless, I don’t see the magic…
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Review: Another Attempt to Discredit Inerrancy Falls Flat
The Human Faces of God: What Scripture Reveals When It Gets God Wrong (and Why Inerrancy Tries To Hide It). By Thom Stark. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2011, xx + 248 pp., $29.00 paper. It is no secret that some of the most fervid theological liberals tend to be former evangelicals. Evangelical-turned-agnostic Bart Ehrman has vindicated that truism with books like Misquoting Jesus and Jesus Interrupted, both of which seek to discredit biblical inerrancy by popularizing critical studies of scripture. Thom Stark describes himself as a former fundamentalist, and his book The Human Faces of God belongs to the Ehrman-genre, though with at least one significant difference. Despite the…
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Be sure to read Ted Kluck’s footnotes!
Just a brief follow-up to my earlier post about Ted Kluck’s new book . I am a professor, and I am therefore a big fan of footnotes. It is my stock-in-trade, if you know what I mean. So please take my advice when I tell you to read all of the footnotes in Ted Kluck’s book. They are the most entertaining footnotes that you will ever read. Here’s a sample from the introduction of Dallas and the Spitfire where Ted goes to a coffee shop and first meets Dallas.
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Ted Kluck’s New Book Is a Great Read
Ted Kluck has just come out with a new book titled Dallas and the Spitfire: An Old Car, an Ex-Con, and an Unlikely Friendship which he co-authored with Dallas Jahncke. I read this book a few months ago and thought it was fantastic. I highly recommend it to you. It’s a true story of discipleship, and in it Ted describes his relationship with a young ex-con named Dallas who has recently come to faith in Christ. Together they work on restoring a broken down car (a Spitfire), which becomes a metaphor for the rebuilding of a young man’s life. Here’s the blurb that I wrote for the book: Dallas and…
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The Gospel as Center
I was very pleased to receive in the mail today a new book edited by D. A. Carson and Tim Keller, The Gospel as Center: Renewing Our Faith and Reforming Our Ministry Practices. This book is the work of pastors associated with The Gospel Coalition, and through fourteen chapters they unpack the theology reflected in the foundational documents of the Coalition. What that means is that this book is primer in the essentials of evangelical faith, and it is written by seasoned pastors. Contributors include D. A. Carson, Timothy Keller, Kevin DeYoung, Philip Ryken, Bryan Chapell, Thabiti Anyabwile, Ligon Duncan, Sam Storms, and many more (full table of contents below).…
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Paige Patterson and Mike Wittmer on Hamilton’s Revelation Commentary
I commended Jim Hamilton’s new commentary on Revelation on Wednesday. You might be interested to see two other commendations—one from Paige Patterson and the other from Mike Wittmer: “In a day when most preachers appear to be terrified by the prospects of preaching any text beyond the third chapter of the Apocalypse, I find Dr. James Hamilton’s Revelation: The Spirit Speaks to the Churches to be an oasis in the wilderness. Though my own interpretation of the book is light years removed from that of Professor Hamilton, the purity of his love for Christ, for his church, and for the Word of God makes every page a delight to read…
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Jim Hamilton on His New Revelation Commentary
If you haven’t gotten a copy of Jim Hamilton’s new commentary on Revelation, now is the time to do so. This book is an excellent exposition of the text, and I commend it to you. I am grateful that Hamilton took some time to answer some of my questions about the book of revelation and his interpretation of it. My questions and Hamilton’s responses are below. ————————– What is the main point of Revelation? What is the genre? I think the main point of Revelation is that God will be glorified in salvation through judgment. The churches that John addressed were small and seemingly insignificant. The Roman culture in which…
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Jeremy Pierre Reviews “Real Marriage”
Jeremy Pierre has a critical review of Real Marriage in Credo magazine, and like many reviewers he takes issue with chapter 10. Pierre is a pastor and biblical counselor, and he has a section that I think is particularly insightful. He writes, It is precisely the Driscolls’ apparent desire to stand against a sexualized culture that makes Chapter 10 “Can We ____?” so frustrating to read…